Price wars versus trade wars: Markets work just fine when we leave them alone September 21, 2018 David Lewis is ramping up a food fight of epic proportions. The chief executive of Tesco has launched a spin-off chain of discount supermarkets called Jack’s (named after Tesco’s founder Jack Cohen). The aim is to become more competitive with German chains Aldi and Lidl, which have been saturating the market with cheaper products since [...]
Price wars versus trade wars: Markets work just fine when we leave them alone September 21, 2018 David Lewis is ramping up a food fight of epic proportions. The chief executive of Tesco has launched a spin-off chain of discount supermarkets called Jack’s (named after Tesco’s founder Jack Cohen). The aim is to become more competitive with German chains Aldi and Lidl, which have been saturating the market with cheaper products since [...]
The anonymous Trump letter isn’t treason, but such public provocation is unproductive September 7, 2018 Treason? Question mark or not, the US President’s response to the anonymous opinion article in the New York Times, supposedly from someone working in his administration, has dramatically overstepped the mark. Any reasonable person recognises that the accusations against Donald Trump in the piece do not amount to “the crime of betraying one’s country” – [...]
Red tape for Red Bull: The ban-happy nanny state is coming for energy drinks August 31, 2018 I don’t remember the last time I saw a six-year-old queuing for a cappuccino in Pret. Nor have I ever noticed one standing in line, with their own cash, paying for their fizzy drink of choice over the counter at corner shop. That’s because realistically these instances cannot happen without the assistance of an adult, who [...]
Corbyn’s plan for the BBC would harm the press and prevent new media from thriving August 24, 2018 Taxing tech giants for the purpose of levelling the playing field is a monumentally bad idea. Unfortunately, it’s gaining traction. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen calls for an “Amazon Tax” from chancellor Philip Hammond to help save the high street. The immediate implications of increasing the tax burden on companies like Apple, Amazon, [...]
Forget independence: The SNP should fix Scotland’s failing public services March 17, 2017 Ideas are powerful things. Many of us choose to engage in the battle of ideas on a weekly, often daily basis – through our hobbies, political affiliations, and reading material. Some of us even do it for a living. It’s hard to deny that the prospect of change can be rather captivating. But every once [...]
Theresa May is scared to admit that the unreformed NHS is crumbling around her – Copeland shows the cold reality February 17, 2017 Anything can happen when faith comes under fire. Take the classic tale of Peter the Apostle, who denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed; and in a more modern twist, take Prime Minister May, who this week managed to dodge stating her support for West Cumberland Hospital’s maternity services four times over the course [...]
Whisper it, but Britain may be about to get a housing policy fit for the crisis we actually face February 3, 2017 A quiet, but very optimistic, cheer for the communities secretary Sajid Javid. Many politicians use the UK’s cost of living crisis as a talking point, but Javid’s blueprint for a new housing policy – set to be fully published next week – looks like it was designed to actually start tackling it in a meaningful [...]
Trump the brash succeeds Obama the failure, but the inauguration itself is a thing of beauty January 20, 2017 Don't drag your feet on the way out, Mr President. Even in these uncertain times, the fear of what comes next can’t sugar-coat the agony of what came before. No doubt we’ve all been charmed by President Obama these past few months. Our awareness of who is to follow, combined with the more easy-going nature of [...]
Labour is collapsing because it’s losing the battle of ideas: Free marketeers take note January 6, 2017 The Fabian Society’s latest report, which paints a doom-and-gloom picture of Labour’s chances at the next election, seems to have hit a nerve among the left’s most prominent commentators. Surely this is because there’s some truth to it: the Fabians’ estimation that Labour will struggle to win even 200 seats backs up the other evidence [...]
